"So, in addition to confirming that Crocodile is behind everything, the current king is also under someone's control?" Shin mused. "It looks like our enemies are making their move. We need to act quickly. Let's split up."
"Violet and Kyros, you two head for the palace. With Violet's Glare-Glare Fruit, you should be able to locate the king as long as you have a general direction."
"Vivi, take me to Crocodile's hideout."
"I'm also giving you the Flying Thunder God transponder snail. If anything happens, call me immediately."
Shin handed Violet a transponder snail. His reason for sending her to the palace was strategic. He knew that Bon Clay, the Clone-Clone Fruit user, could easily mimic anyone's appearance just by touching them.
A deceptive Paramecia-type Devil Fruit like that was nearly undetectable—even Observation Haki wouldn't expose the disguise.
But with the Glare-Glare Fruit's ability to read minds, Violet was the perfect counter. No matter how many disguises Bon Clay used, he wouldn't escape her gaze.
Hearing Shin's plan, Vivi hesitated. "Go now? But my injuries… I might slow you down."
Shin waved his hand, dark energy swirling around him. He pulled Vivi into the void for a moment and then released her, completely healed.
"Let's go. No more wasting time." He said firmly, watching Vivi's expression shift from shock to determination.
"Alright! Let's hurry!" Vivi called out. As if on cue, Karoo, her loyal duck, emerged from the sand and sprinted toward her at full speed.
"You don't need to bring that stupid duck," Shin grumbled. "We'll fly."
"Quack! Quack-quack-quack!"
High in the air, Karoo flailed his wings desperately, his eyes wide with terror.
"Can't you make that thing shut up?" Shin pinched the bridge of his nose. Ever since he'd used the Ultralight-Weight Rock Jutsu to fly them across the desert, Karoo hadn't stopped screaming.
At first, Shin thought the duck was excited to fly. Now, he realized—Karoo was afraid of heights, just like Ryuma!
"Karoo… please calm down. Everything's fine," Vivi soothed, patting his feathers. But the duck continued flailing and wailing in terror.
"I told you not to bring it! What's it gonna do, defeat Crocodile?" Shin huffed. Vivi could only offer a sheepish smile.
Despite the noise, their journey was swift. Using the Rinnegan's abilities, the Ultralight-Weight Rock Technique, and the Float-Float Fruit's control over air currents, they soon arrived at Crocodile's stronghold—the city of Rainbase.
Gazing at the vibrant, water-rich oasis below, Shin muttered, "Not much of a drought here."
"Yes, only Rainbase and our capital haven't suffered from the drought… Why are you looking at me like that?" Vivi asked, narrowing her eyes.
Shin sighed. "Nothing… I just feel like I don't belong in this world sometimes."
If this were the world of Naruto, Crocodile's actions would've been exposed immediately. Even a half-decent ninja would find the situation suspicious.
If some unknown force were hoarding resources while an entire nation suffered, every intelligence network would have already identified the culprit. By now, a squad of Anbu would be monitoring him around the clock.
But in the One Piece world? Crocodile's cartoonishly obvious plan had gone unnoticed for years.
Shin shook his head. When he thought about how naive rulers in this world were, he could only sigh. Between Baltigo Island, where numerous Revolutionaries were stationed in secret, and Dressrosa, where Riku was duped by Doflamingo's ridiculous scheme, Alabasta's king almost seemed competent by comparison.
"So, how do we approach Crocodile?" Vivi asked. "Do we storm his casino?"
Her face flushed slightly with excitement at the idea.
"No need," Shin rolled his eyes. "I've already found him."
If Crocodile were just an ordinary person, pinpointing him through Haki alone would've been difficult. But as a Warlord, his presence stood out like a beacon. The moment Shin expanded his Observation Haki, he sensed him immediately.
At that very moment, Crocodile was in his lair, feeding his banana-gators (Bananawani). His expression darkened as he raised his head, his instincts tingling.
As a former rival to Whitebeard, Crocodile had undoubtedly possessed Haki at some point. But his defeat had shaken him, and he had seemingly abandoned its use, relying solely on his Logia intangibility.
"That's some serious Haki," Crocodile muttered, lighting a cigar. "Who the hell is that?"
Before he could finish his thought, an electric light flickered before him. A figure appeared in an instant.
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Now Available: Chapter 327: Darkseid's Mark